I want your opinion on something. See, it’s become almost cliché to articulate how incredible technology in our modern world is.
In fact, it’s become one of the centralised topics of small talk. ‘Weather isn’t looking too great is it?’, says Steve. ‘Nah, I know’, says Adam, pulling out his iPhone. ‘Weather App says it’s going to hail later’. They both groan half heartedly, and then glance around, not knowing what to talk about next.
‘Technology these days, eh?’, says Steve, cocking his head towards Adam’s fancy touch-screeny-I-can-do-everything-phone.
‘I know’, says Adam and instead of exchanging pleasantries, they discuss what their phones can and can’t do until one of them sighs and says ‘we never had this when we were kids’.
At the ripe old age of nineteen, it’s inevitable that I’ve grown up with modern technology. Granted, I remember the first mobile phones being the size of small tumble dryers but the difference between me growing up and my parents is astounding.
If I want to speak to my friend in Uganda, I can video-call her on Skype and see her African surroundings.
I can have anything I want delivered to my door at the click of a button. I can set up a business, watch a film, order food and communicate with thousands of people all from the comfort of my living room.
I recently saw a video on YouTube of a confused toddler with a magazine, touching the pictures wondering why the ‘iPad’ wouldn’t work.
It’s baffling.
So what I’d like to know is, given the chance, would you have grown up with everything kids being born now have or do you hark back to the days where you had to walk down the road to the telephone box to make a phone call?
People of my age are incredibly lucky to have all that we do now, but there’s only so much I can take of being in the company of someone who plays Angry Birds consistently or won’t leave Facebook alone.
Technology is supposed to enhance our lives, but I can’t help but feel that with our heads down all the time, not only are we going to end up with crooked necks, but life is going to pass by while we get our high score on Doodle Jump.
If you have any thoughts on this, please feel free to write to me, care of the Chron.
Or you can always e-mail the Chron and I’m sure they’ll be happy to forward it to me... particularly if you tell them they’re the best paper you ever read!